11 February 2016 09:02 pm
A smoke bomb had gone off at the Bandaranaike International Airport (BIA) this evening, inside the hand held baggage of a transit passenger, airport sources said.
No one was injured as a result, they said.
They said the bomb was found inside the bag of the passenger from Bangladesh who was bound for Doha, Qatar.
Airport security staff had detected the bomb when the bag was passing through the scanner and it had gone off as they were inspecting it.
The passenger had arrived on Mihin Lanka flight MJ 502.
Officials said they could not take legal action as it concerned a transit passenger. It is illegal to carry explosives, incendiary materials and flammable items on commercial flights.
The passenger had been allowed to leave the country. The smoke had been contained within the airport premises by the security staff. (Ranjith Ferdinandus)
Pic by Ranjith Ferdinandus